Helmets for contact sports, such as those used in football, hockey and lacrosse, typically include a rigid outer shell, an internal pad assembly coupled to an interior surface of the shell, a faceguard or face mask, and a chin protector or strap that removably secures the helmet on the wearer's head. Conventional sports helmets may include ribs, ridges, and/or corrugations formed in the helmet shell, along with numerous openings in the shell. These openings can include openings for the attachment of other helmet features, such as the faceguard, the chin strap, and the internal padding assembly. These openings can also include ear hole apertures to improve hearing, and ventilation apertures to improve ventilation while the helmet is on the wearer's head.
In conventional helmets, the size, shape, and location of these openings are designed to minimize any structural weakness in the shell that may result from removing material from the shell to form these openings. The various ribs, ridges and corrugations found in conventional sports helmets often function to increase shell stiffness, especially in the regions of the shell that include these features. The performance of the helmet is complicated by the inclusion of the combination of multiple shell openings and ribs, ridges and/or corrugations.
Features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.